


Rain On Me

by jhunieilarde



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Episode: s07e15 En Ami, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27817786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jhunieilarde/pseuds/jhunieilarde
Summary: Post En Ami...Scully got sick after her return from the trip with Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder and Skinner are doing their best to protect her but what they're about to find out will change all their lives forever.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	1. I'm Fine

**Author's Note:**

> i can't still get over this episode so i am writing another one but this time, i threw Skinner to help Mulder smother Scully. Bear with me. i am in the En Ami zone at the moment. i can't think of anything else.

Cold water splashed on her face after she had thrown up for the fifth time that day. She has been feeling under the weather ever since she returned from her _reckless_ trip with Smoking Man as Mulder and Skinner had both put it. She knows it was true but she tried to explain her side on why she had done it but the two seemed determined to rub on her face how ridiculous her decision had been and she’s tired of wanting to be heard and understood so she simply stopped.

Mulder is colder than Antartica when it comes to her. He did not bother consulting her on cases and she was forced to catch up on their pending reports which is the boring part of the job. Skinner is cuddling her with giving her probably all the autopsies in the entire bureau just to prevent her from going on the field. She already stinks while smelling like the chemicals she deals with in the lab. At night, she consoles herself with her wine and cigarette and when the morning comes, she threw them all out the toilet.

But this day is different. Something is up with her. She just feels sick. She barely eaten anything and she still throws up every now and then. Of course, Mulder does not notice anything. He’s so wrapped up with whatever case he’s currently working. She does not make a show of it too. There’s no need. Mulder barely see her nowadays. She can drop dead in front of him and he will not even notice. He’s still mad about her running off with Smoking Man like he had not done it before in his life.

She rubbed her temple as the migraine hits. It could be her eyes. She’s been straining them in front of her computer. After all the autopsies she’s done, she got a lot of report to catch up on. The file on her right slid down the floor, scattering the pages. She let out a groan before bending over and picking it up. When she straightened up, the entire room spins. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the desk for support. She breathes through her nose slowly. _It’s just head rush_. When she opened her eyes, everything still sways but not that much though she can feel something rising from her guts to her throat. She quickly got up and ran to the bathroom down the hall.

How is it possible for her to throw up when her stomach is already empty?

Once again, she splashed water on her face. She used the mouth wash she secretly stored in the bathroom and once satisfied she does not look like a complete mess, she went back the office to continue her work. Her head is light and she’s certain she’s pale but the day is not over yet and there’s the report she needed to finish.

“Go home, Scully”, Mulder suddenly said like he had not given her the cold treatment for weeks.

She did not bother to hide the look of surprise on her face when he finally spoke to her. It must have been Christmas already.

“It’s early and I got reports to finish”, she replied coldly and resumed typing.

She should reconsider wearing glasses. Her head feels like it’s going to explode and she could not help but wince. She started typing with force, with purpose. She had not realized that Mulder is now watching her keenly. The words on the screen are starting to dance so she closed her eyes.

“You can finish that tomorrow. Go home”, he repeated.

This time, she looked at him. She cannot read his expression. Is he concerned or very not pleased with her work performance? He might have been thinking how incompetent she is that she cannot handle simple autopsy reports since it’s all she’s been doing. He already thinks of her as _reckless_ and _ridiculous_ for coming with Smoking Man. She’s determined to show him that she’s still competent and not the complete idiot who an old man tricked into believing that she’s actually holding the cure to cancer.

“I’m fine, Mulder”, she lied and it’s incredibly obvious.

“Suit yourself”, he replied.

Mulder resumed reading so she resumed typing despite her whole being protesting.

Once the day is over, she walked towards the parking lot but mostly, she traveled the entire way to her car by using the wall to keep herself balanced. It will be irresponsible to drive and she knows it so in the end, she gave up and got herself a cab and went home.

\------------------------------------

Her condition worsened during the evening. She got chills. She won’t stop vomiting. Her head won’t stop spinning and her temperature is slightly high. She almost called herself a cab to go to the hospital but doctors make impossible patients. She treated herself with soup and medication she got in her medicine cabinet and forced herself to sleep. It could just been a bug that she caught somewhere.

\----------------------------------

When the morning comes, she still went to work and proceeded to perform three autopsies back-to-back. Her muscles are sore from standing for hours, cutting and identifying cause of deaths. They’re ready to give in any moment.

“Are you okay, Agent Scully?” Skinner asked when she submitted her reports in his office.

“Yes, sir…just tired”, she lied again.

Her boss gave her a questioning look as he studied her closely.

“Alright, I think you’re done with autopsies for today so you can have the afternoon to rest”, he replied.

“Thank you, sir”, she responded and left.

\----------------------------------

Grateful that Skinner had not pushed it any longer, she went down the basement and settled on her desk. The atmosphere remains the same in their office and it’s making her sicker so she left and smoked inside the bathroom. It calms her a bit and she forgot about feeling ill. When she got back to the office, Mulder is already standing in front of her desk going over her reports.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Checking if these reports are urgent and they’re not. Skinner said you can go home”, he answered without looking at her.

So, Skinner had called Mulder and told him what he observed earlier. She could not help but scoffed. This is too much.

“Honestly, you two…I am fine. Stop cuddling me”, she protested and went to her desk.

Scully grabbed the report from Mulder’s hands and put them back on the table. He could immediately smelled the smoke on her hair and clothes and his expression turned dark. He knew Scully smokes but smelling that on her after that trip just stirred something in him even though it’s an irrational one, an outrageous one. He couldn’t help it.

“Is that why you’re always tired, Scully? Does he keep you busy with special assignments?” he spat.

Scully stared at him in disbelief once she realized what he meant by that. He thinks she’s working with Smoking Man. After seven years, he thinks she’s betraying him even after everything she sacrificed for him, for his quest. Anger is boiling within her fast and she’s pretty sure her face is getting red like her hair in fury.

“I don’t do anything else other than slice up corpses and type in reports because my partner and my boss will not allow me to work on actual cases after one mistake. Why on earth would you think I can stomach working with that chain-smoking bastard?” she asked.

“Well, you stomached being in the car with him for hours. Why not?” he snapped coldly.

She wanted to scream at him. Her breathing is becoming rapid and heavy. They’ve been at it for weeks and he couldn’t move on. She clenched her fists but her anger wouldn’t subside.

“Mulder—”

A drop of red liquid interrupted her supposed explosion. Instinctively, her hand shot up to her nose and felt the warm blood coming out of it. Nausea followed after. She turned around from Mulder and went back to the bathroom in a haste.

Scully chases all the what ifs in her brain and concentrate in making the blood stop. What could this mean? She asked herself. She tried to find any plausible explanation for it but she can’t think of anything yet. Her brain will not simply work other than what’s obvious. When she’s sure that the bleeding ceased, she fixed herself in front of the mirror and returned to the office hoping that Mulder is already gone but he’s in there waiting for her with now concerned look in his eyes.

“Mulder, I don’t want to fight please. Just, go back to ignoring me until the day ends so we can both go home in peace”, she said in resignation.

“What’s going on with you? You’ve been sick since you returned. Have you gone to your doctor?” he asked, ignoring what she said.

Scully sighed.

“I better cash in Skinner’s offer to go home before he changed his mind. See you tomorrow, Mulder”, she muttered and grabbed her coat and bag.

Mulder knows it’s her way of avoiding him. He’s worried. He really is. He may have been upset by her action but him ignoring her is his way of keeping her safe. Since that he and Skinner had realized that Smoking Man can get to Scully anytime he wants, they decided to protect her by making her assignments within the building doing lab works. He knows she hates being benched but if it comes from Skinner, she will not protest. He also limits the cases he takes so he can keep an eye out for Scully. It’s just simply suspicious that Smoking Man let her go just like that.

There must be a reason for him to go through lengths and effort of earning her trust to come with him and tempting her with the cure for cancer. He can’t just pinpoint what that is yet so he avoids talking to Scully because he doesn’t want to say things he will regret later but he always sees her. He notices her paleness, her frequent trips to the bathroom. She’s not well for weeks and he just saw her nose bleeds few minutes ago. He fears the worst. What if Smoking Man did something to her during that trip? What if that’s the purpose, the reason he was looking for?

“Is running your solution to everything, Scully?” he asked.

She stopped walking and looked back at him.

“Is making me feel like the stupidest and weakest person in the world your solution to everything, Mulder?” she asked him back.

Is that how he’s making her feel? She did not wait for him to answer and left.

\----------------------------------

GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL

She needs to know what’s going on with her so she scheduled herself for a full work up. If it’s cancer, she already had plans about how to break it to her family, how to make it easier on everyone. She knows she can’t go through that again or put her family through that again. If it’s not cancer, she must know what so she can assess it and take action. After hours of scans, bloodwork, and X-ray, Scully left the hospital. Her doctor will call her once she got the complete result of her tests but she was advised to take it easy and stop stressing.

\------------------------------------

BAR

Taking her doctor’s advice, Scully decided to treat herself for a drink. She needs to stop stressing so she needs something to ease her tension. She does not wine tonight. She wants something stronger. She wants loud music. She wants to be surrounded by people who will not judge her or smother her. She wants to feel something other than sadness.

Shot after shot, stress and self-doubt faded away. She began to smile and talk to strangers. How long has it been since she last did it? Enjoy herself? She cannot remember anymore. She used to enjoy life being with Mulder. Little things that he did make her happy like him coming over with a box of pizza and beer to force her to watch horrible movies. She misses that. She misses them together. She hates being pushed aside because she’s not smart enough, not strong enough. She thought, after all these years, that she can be his equal but all it took for Smoking Man was to shower her with promises of being able to treat cancer with a small chip and she went running along with him across the country. That’s not very smart.

“You sure you can still go home?” the bartender asked her.

“Yeah…can you call me a cab?” the bartender nodded.

She can bury herself with all that thoughts tomorrow but she’s done for the night. She had fun and enjoyed herself for a moment but it’s not her reality. She’s not even sure what her reality is going to be not until those tests results come back. Scully got in the cab that the bartender called for her and went home to crash on her lonely bed.


	2. Test Result

Hangover is a pain in the ass and Scully knows she had too much tequila last night. She should call in sick today but she’s not one to call in sick because of a hangover. It’s just not her. She’s Dana Scully. She’s a hardworking and dedicated agent of the FBI. Hangover is not an excuse. She mustered some strength left in her so she can finish the reports she failed to get done yesterday after she went home early.

Scully hit the shower fast and applied a gracious amount of concealer underneath her eyes to hide her state before downing two aspirins for the headache.

“Get through the day…” she said to herself in front of the mirror before leaving her apartment.

It’s going to be another day and she knows Mulder is going to be waiting for her down the basement.

\------------------------------------

HOOVER BUILDING

Scully silently went to their office and straight to her desk. She knows Mulder is already in there staring at her but she chose to ignore him and began working. The sooner she finished it, the sooner she can go and she hopes it happens without any drama.

“How are you feeling today?” Mulder asked, breaking the silence she’s hoping for.

She looked at him and noticed two cups of coffee on his desk plus a takeout. Her eyes darted around but found no other person present with them.

“I’m fine. Are you meeting someone here? I can take this to the bullpen and finish it there. It’s no problem”, she answered then asked him back.

He got up instead and grabbed the cup of coffee and the takeout. Mulder put them on her desk leaving her completely baffled.

“I knew you’re not going to eat breakfast so I got you your usual. Eat before you start working”, he said and turned around to get back at his desk.

Scully does not know how to react. What’s happening? Why is he acting like he does not care about her only to show her that he does afterwards? Why is he playing with her heart like this? Tears are threatening to fall from her eyes. She had spent weeks waiting for him to treat her the way he used to and it did not happen. What changed?

_Her nosebleed…_

Is it pity then? He saw the blood and now he must think she’s sick again and he’s being kind to her out of obligation, politeness. She did not notice the tears already falling down her desk as she bowed her head down. Mulder did.

“Why do you do this to me?” she whispered.

It was faint but Mulder caught it. The sound of those words hit him in the chest fast. They’re just full of pain.

“Are you okay?” he asked in concern.

“I don’t know where to place myself in your world anymore, Mulder”, she muttered as she sniffled.

Her façade is breaking. Her walls are shattering. When the tears started falling, there’s no turning back.

“Scully, what are you talking about?”

“I am sorry for taking off with Smoking Man. I don’t know how many times I should say that to you and I don’t know if you’ll ever get passed it but I am hoping that someday you will understand but I can’t do this forever. You can’t just treat me like I don’t exist for weeks and then buy me breakfast like it’s nothing. What are you trying to do here, Mulder?” she exclaimed.

Mulder fears for a moment that her nose will bleed again but when she looked back at him with tears in her eyes, guilt filled his body. She’s crying and he’s the one causing it, not the Smoking Man.

“You’re not taking care of yourself. I am not trying to do anything. I just want you to have breakfast”, he muttered which is a lousy excuse.

She stared at him in disbelief. Why can’t he be honest with her? He’s always telling her to be honest about what she feels with him and to trust him with her truth but he cannot do the same with her.

“Okay, sure. If you say so, Mulder”, she replied and averted her gaze.

Scully began typing and Mulder was left standing in front of her desk. He is silently kicking himself for not being able to articulate himself better. All he needs to do is give her the straight answer and it will all be over. They can move on and be partners again like they used to. He was about to say something, come clean about his reasons when her phone suddenly rings.

“Scully”, she answered.

He watched her expression goes from sad to serious to confuse to shock in a matter of seconds.

“I understand. Yes. Thank you”, she hangs up and stared into the space for a moment before her hands started shaking.

“Scully, what’s happening?” he asked.

She quietly put her phone inside her bag before calmly walking out of their office, away from Mulder and straight for the bathroom.

\-----------------------------------

_‘Scully’_

_‘This is Dr. Foster. I got your result, Dana. There’s no need to worry because your cancer is not back. The nosebleed could be the result of a fragile blood vessel inside your nose that had bled after your repeated vomiting. Well, I should break this to you in person but I know you’re a busy person so I will tell this to you now. You’re pregnant, Dana. It’s what causing you to be nauseous and the vomiting is morning sickness. Dana? Are you still there? Did you hear what I said?’_

_‘I understand’_

_‘Well, I need you back here so we can check up on your baby and how far long are you…’_

_‘Yes’_

_‘Alright, see you soon, Dana’_

_‘Thank you’_

She locked the door to the bathroom and just slumped onto the cold floor.

_Pregnant…_

How can she be pregnant? The IVF did not take and she got no ova left. Her brain traveled fast to where she had been and what she had been doing the past few weeks. Of course, she and Mulder had been sleeping with each other but they’ve been doing that for a year now and she hadn’t been knocked up by her partner because he can’t. She had not slept with anyone else other than Mulder and her routine had been pretty much the same except…

“Oh god…”

…that trip with Smoking Man.

_Not again…not again…_

She hates being the subject of an experiment yet again. How many times are they going to play with her body? What is it this time? An alien baby inside her body? Is it the same one they tried to put inside her in Antartica? Is she carrying some creature that will rip her body when it grows?

“Scully? Are you alright? What’s going on?” she heard Mulder knocking on the door.

What is she supposed to tell him now? ‘ _Hey, Mulder. Guess what…I’m pregnant and I think your biological dad might have something to do with it but I don’t know what because he drugged me’._ That’s not going to fly very high. She’s going to be a laughingstock by the entire bureau. Skinner will never trust her again with any cases. Mulder will just simply stop acknowledging her because it will confirm his betrayal theory. She also knows she can’t keep avoiding Mulder. He’s as stubborn as she is and he will not stop until he gets some answers. She just needs to face it and whatever happens, she needs to get through the day.

Scully opened the door and saw a very worried Mulder outside. The cold façade he wore for weeks to shut her out is gone. He’s back to the Mulder she knew. All it would take for him to notice her again is for her to sick and pregnant.

“Are you okay? Who was that on the phone?” he asked again.

“That was my doctor. She informed me about my test results that I had done yesterday”, she answered.

Even she was surprised at how calm her voice is.

“What is it?” he asked…fearing the worst.

She can only do this once.

“We should go to Skinner’s office for this. I don’t think I can repeat what I will say to you afterwards”, she suggested.

\-----------------------------------

SKINNER’S OFFICE

Skinner’s head shot up when the door opened. It’s an odd sight to see both Mulder and Scully coming in his office. As far as he knows, Mulder is still upset with her and she’s feeling under the weather for weeks now. It has to be something serious for the both of them to get past that and come and see him.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

The two sat in front of him. He noticed Mulder waiting for Scully to talk.

“I have been sick since I returned from that trip with Smoking Man and I thought I was just tired at first. It could have been a bug but my condition worsened. Yesterday, I went to see my doctor after my nose bled. I ordered a full work up and she called in earlier to tell me the result”,

“Is it cancer?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“No, it’s not”, she took a deep breath and held his gaze. “She informed me I am pregnant”, she answered.

The air got knocked out of both Mulder and Skinner’s lungs.

“What?” Mulder was the first to ask.

“I must say I am surprised but a baby is always good news”, Skinner muttered.

“I wouldn’t be sure about that just yet”, her boss frowned along with Mulder. “Sir, I have been trying to get pregnant for almost two months and the last IVF did not take. It was the last chance I had, and it did not happen. I had accepted that I wouldn’t be able to be a mother. Being pregnant now is an impossibility. I only had one partner and nothing in my routine had changed except that trip few weeks ago”,

Mulder gripped the chair as his knuckled turned white. He’s catching where Scully is getting at and why she reacted the way she did earlier.

“While I was with the Smoking Man, I passed out and woke up the next day in a house I couldn’t recall arriving at. My clothes were different and I was in a bedroom when my last recollection of that day was being in the car. I couldn’t remember what happened while I was out. I confronted the Smoking Man about it but he said I was too exhausted from driving. He denied drugging me and it was too late to test it since whatever drugs he put in me would have been flushed out of my system by the time I got back here so I have no proof”,

Her voice broke towards the end and she had to stop to control her emotions. She cannot breakdown in front of her boss and Mulder. She’s there to be honest with them and face the consequences of her mistake.

“I will understand if you will give me sanctions for this. It’s my fault. I willingly went with him. I made a mistake. I will accept whatever it punishment you will give me”, she finished.

Skinner looked at her, stunned. He’s still cannot get over the fact that she’s pregnant and the fact that Smoking Man had drugged her and probably did something to her and now, she’s asking to be punished for being drugged?

“Agent Scully…why would I punish you? It’s true that what you did was impulsive but it does not merit what’s happening to you now if it is Smoking Man’s doing. Have you gone back to your doctor for further test?” Skinner asked.

“I plan on going but I felt I have to tell you first”, she answered.

“We’ll go now”, Mulder said after being so quiet.

His tone is dark and angry and Skinner was afraid that he’s going to do something crazy. When he met his eyes, he knew what Mulder is planning but right now, his priority is to accompany Scully to the doctor to make sure nothing else was done to her by that evil man.

“I will cover for the two of you. Go see that doctor now. I need answers as much as you do”, he said and the two left his office.


	3. Drugged

GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL

None of them talked the entire drive from the bureau to the hospital and honestly, they both preferred it that way. They needed the silence to process things. Scully can’t wrap her brain with the fact that she’s pregnant and it could be a blessing from heaven or a cruel result of an experiment done to her against her will. Meanwhile, Mulder can’t wrap his brain with the fact that he failed to protect Scully once again, that despite his efforts to keep her safe, Smoking Man won and messed up with her body once more.

At the hospital, Dr. Foster explained Scully’s test result better. Mulder had insisted on being with her the whole time to which Scully did not protest. She did not want to admit it but she knows it will be hell for her to go through it alone. She needs him. She always has.

“We can do a scan but it’s not going to tell us much other than a heartbeat. It’s too soon. I would say that you do need to take better care of yourself, Dana. Your history with cancer could be a risk for your pregnancy and you’re on your first trimester and it’s a delicate stage. I know it will be hard given the nature of your work but a little step back from the action is not going to hurt”, Dr. Foster said.

“Is the baby normal? Can we know that much?” Mulder butt in.

Dr. Foster did not ask who he is exactly. In her mind, she decided that he is the father noting the way he acts around Scully.

Mulder, on the other hand, can’t exactly ask the doctor whether the baby is human or an alien without being send to an institution so he tries ways to get the answer. Scully understood what he was trying to ask.

“Physically, it is too soon to tell. You have to understand. It’s not a fully formed baby yet. We can do an ultrasound if you want to hear its heartbeat but it is too early to tell about any physical deformities or cognitive ones”, the doctor answered.

“I want a first trimester screening to be done”, Scully cut in.

The doctor turned to her with a frown. Of course, it is known that she is also a medical doctor but for the moment, she is a patient, not a doctor.

“Are you sure? In your family medical history, you have no history with Down Syndrome and you’re only seven weeks pregnant. This genetic test is done at 10 weeks of pregnancy”, Dr. Foster asked.

Mulder is trying to read Scully’s expression. He knows that she knows what that means before Dr. Foster informed her about that fact but she is determined to make it happen for some reason.

“I am over thirty-five and I am at high-risk pregnancy due to my previous illness. It’s not far-fetched to ask for this test. It’s for my peace of mind. Otherwise, I will keep thinking about it”, she answered.

It’s all a lie. Mulder can see that plain as day. He knows her too well. She wants that test so she can take a look at it herself to get the answers they both need.

“Alright, alright…we’ll make it happen, Dana. We’ll make it happen”, Dr. Foster assured her.

Mulder waited at the hallway of the hospital while Scully went with Dr. Foster to do the test. She told him it’s the only way they will be able to check the genetic makeup of the baby inside her, if it is a baby. Still, he can’t help but worry. What if it’s not a baby? What if it’s Antartica all over again? Then another question comes to mind. It will be a lot easier if it’s an alien inside her. They can take it out as early as now before it rips her in half, but what if it’s not an alien? What if it’s a miracle? An actual baby? What then?

They’ve been sleeping with each other for a year now and nothing had happened. They never used protection and even with the IVF, she did not get pregnant until now when the IVF had failed. He’s certain Scully does not see anyone else other than him but it would be impossible for the baby to be his because…well, it simply couldn’t be, right? They tried and they had failed.

What did the Smoking Man did to her to get her pregnant when both natural way and science failed to give her a child?

“Mulder”, her voice snapped him out of his trance.

She is staring at him with concerned eyes.

“Is it done?” he asked.

“Yes. The result will take a week. Can you drive me home? I don’t think I can drive right now”, she answered.

He only nodded. At this point, he does not want to let her out of his sight even just for a second.

\----------------------------------

SCULLY’S APARTMENT

She’s exhausted by the time they arrived at her place. She also had amniocentesis done to cover everything and she’s just drained. Mulder carried her bag for her and made her a cup of tea after putting her bag inside her room. He knows her apartment by heart. He had spent a good amount of time in there to know where she keeps the cups or her box of tea. Actually, being there feels like home to him than his own apartment.

“Thank you”, she muttered and took a sip after he handed her the tea.

“I already called Skinner to give him an update about what the doctor had said. He just told me to keep him posted”,

She only hummed in response.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t know what to feel. I am just…blanked”, she answered without looking at him.

Mulder sighed and sat next to her.

“I am sorry for pushing you away after you got back. I was an ass but I was also upset…not at you. I can never be upset with you. I was upset because you’re too kind for your own good. I go run around chasing conspiracies for my own satisfaction, to uncover the truth, to satiate my curiosity, to find my sister. You don’t do that. You’re the rational one, the voice of reason, the one who pulled me back when I’m thinking of doing something crazy. You ran off with that chain-smoking bastard for the reason that’s completely the opposite of mine: to get the cure-all for others, not for yourself”,

Scully remained quiet and allowed him to finish without interruption.

“You can look the other way when the offer came your way but you wanted everyone to have access to the miracle you had with your implant and it’s scary. It’s scary because you could have gotten killed and I wouldn’t even have the heart to be mad at you because your intention was noble. Skinner thought the same and we bothnfeared that Smoking Man got bigger plans for you since he had let you go too easily from that trip so we kept you in the Hoover building as a precaution. I never ignored you, Scully. I had been keeping my eye on you, always. I know you’ve been sick. I know you’re not eating well or resting well. I know your late-night visit to the bar for tequila shots. I just did not know how to set aside my ego and childishness so I can communicate better with you. I am sorry if I made you feel bad about yourself. It was not my intention. I was a complete asshole”, he apologized.

He was expecting some ‘I told you so’ from her but he was surprised when he felt her hand covered his. It was only one gesture but it filled him with her warmth. He had treated her poorly for weeks and she had forgiven him just like that. He does not deserve her.

“You know what I think…”

“What?” he asked.

“I secretly wish that whatever this is inside of me to be our baby. I am actually hoping that it’s normal and it’s yours and not a product of some lab experiments”, she answered.

He saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“I wish for that too”, he muttered.

He really does. He never pictured himself as a father but it’s everything Scully wants and for her, he’s willing to be anything. He can see himself being a father with their child.

“Can you stay here tonight? I missed you”, she requested.

“I will stay over even if you didn’t ask me to”, he replied.

\------------------------------------

HOOVER BUILDING

Mulder and Scully went back to work the next day. They cannot stay idle while waiting for the test result. It will drive them both crazy. Since none of them knew what exactly Scully is carrying inside her body, they agreed on her sticking to her lab duty until they got the results while Mulder sticks with consulting jobs with other departments. Skinner organized it to accommodate their waiting period for the week. Mulder insisted not to be assigned with profiling assignment since he cannot deal with that kind of darkness right now, not when Scully needs him to be himself and present.

“How is she doing?” Skinner asked when he submitted his first report in his temporary assigment.

“Hopeful…I am worried that if this turned out to be a result of an experiment, she will be devastated. She wants to be a mother so badly and I want to give it to her”, Mulder answered with all honesty.

When Scully informed him that she’s pregnant, his first thought was that Mulder is the father. There’s no question in his mind about that. Anyone who thinks there’s nothing going on between Mulder and Scully other than being partners is blind. He actually roots for them.

“Hope is a powerful thing, Agent Mulder. We cannot jump ahead and think of the worst. Have faith”, he replied.

\----------------------------------

QUANTICO

Meanwhile, Scully was asked to go to the academy to assist on an autopsy. The notice came in sort of late but she made it on time. What she did not expect is that she’s not going to find a body waiting for her to be sliced and diced. It’s Cigarette Smoking Man.

“You…”

“Good to see you again, Agent Scully. I must say I already missed your company after we part”, he greeted with his smug grin.

She quickly drew out her gun and pointed it at him which surprised the old man. Her hand is visibly shaking from anger but her aim is steady. She can shoot him any time and it will be over.

“What did you do to me?” she asked.

“Agent Scully, I don’t know what you mean”,

“Stop lying to me!” her breathing is fast and heavy. “You drugged me while we were in that trip. Don’t deny it. I know you did. You did something to me because if you did not, I wouldn’t be pregnant right now, carrying god knows what! So I am asking you, what did you do to me this time?” she yelled.

“I have nothing to do with your pregnancy, Agent Scully”, he muttered.

She closed her eyes, mustering everything she got to stop herself from not pulling the trigger.

“I am so tired of being your lab rat…” _just shoot him!_ “What more could you possibly want from me? You already took everything. I lost three months of my life. I couldn’t have children. I had cancer. I could not live without this damn implant at the back of my neck. You killed my sister. Isn’t that enough?” she exclaimed.

The Smoking Man put out his cigarette.

“I had other purpose for inviting you on that trip. That’s true. It was also true that I drugged you. My instruction was to obtain something precious in your system, something that’s not meant to be yours but thanks to Agent Mulder’s heroic rescue of you in Antartica, it is now coursing through your veins”,

“The cure for the alien virus”, she guessed.

“Yes. There are people who want that out of you and I was tasked to obtain it but as I was about to do that, something was different in your vitals. I discovered you’re carrying a life inside of you. Imagine my surprise when I found out about that. I am many things, Agent Scully, but at that moment, I couldn’t bear hurting the mother of my grandchild. Like I said, you have a special place in my heart. Extracting that cure from your body is going to kill you and your unborn child so I aborted the plan and killed the man sent to kill you in case I failed to do it. There’s your answer, Agent Scully. Whether you believe me or not, is entirely up to you”, he revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i always wonder why Scully's DNA can cure the Spartan virus in season 10 and 11 and i recalled about the X Files movie FTF and how she was injected with the cure by Mulder so this is me putting that in...


	4. A Different Basement

Her entire body is shaking. She’s not sure now whether it’s because of her anger towards the old man in front of her or the possibility that a miracle just happened to her and that Smoking Man is finally telling her the truth.

“I believed you once and looked at what I got from it”, she muttered.

She really did believe the cure Smoking Man promised her because simply, it’s what keeps her alive to this date but he had betrayed her and drugged her. Now, no matter how promising, she cannot bring herself to believe a word he says.

“…like I said, it’s entirely up to you whether to believe me or not but I am telling you the truth. I have no hand in your pregnancy. You should thank my son”, he replied and began smoking again.

“Then why are you here?” she asked.

His face turned serious. Scully gripped her gun tighter. Her guts are telling her something bad is about to happen. He is not one to make house calls without a purpose. He’s there for something.

“Although I have avoided harming you in the past, I cannot extend the same graciousness to you anymore. Your very existence is a threat to their plans”,

She felt a sting at the back of her neck and she knew it’s her implant. The effect was quick. Her head went light and her vision went blurry. She used the table to keep her balance but her knees gave in and she fell on the floor.

“I am so sorry, Dana. I have no choice this time”, she last heard before everything went dark.

\-----------------------------------

HOOVER BUILDING

It’s already getting dark and Mulder just finished organizing their office. If he can save Scully from the trouble of cleaning up his mess, he will do it. The doctor said her pregnancy is at delicate stage so she shouldn’t be stressing with their unorganized case files. He glanced towards the clock and noticed that she has not called the whole day. She should be back few hours ago but she’s not yet in the building.

_‘It’s me. I am not available at the moment but I will give you a call back once I’m free’_

“What now?” he muttered and dialed Quantico.

“Pathology Department”,

“This is Special Agent Fox Mulder. Special Agent Dana Scully is my partner. She was called in to assist today. Is she still there?” he asked.

“One moment, Agent”, the woman said and put him on hold.

What kind of autopsy did they made her do?

“Agent Mulder”,

“Yes?”

“Agent Scully is not here. There is no log about an autopsy that asked for any assistance from Hoover Building although she logged in at the entrance”, she informed him.

Mulder did not reply and just ended the call. His long legs took him to Skinner’s office in a flash.

“Agent Mulder? Why are you still here?” his boss asked.

“I think Scully is in trouble. I called Quantico and they said there’s no scheduled autopsy today that called for any assistance from us. She’s not there anymore but she logged in at the entrance”, he answered in panic.

Skinner tried to think of rational explanations to justify Scully’s momentary disappearance.

“She could be at home. Did you call her apartment?” he asked.

“I did. She’s not picking up both phone and cell. I have a bad feeling about this. This is not like her. Something is up”, Mulder answered.

His guts are usually right even this time, he doesn’t want it to be. Skinner also knew better than to question Mulder’s instincts.

“Quantico got cameras everywhere. Let’s head out there and check”, he suggested.

\----------------------------------

QUANTICO

Skinner flashed his badge and used his authority to get access on the building’s security footages. Mulder tapped his foot anxiously as the operator navigates the system, trying to find Scully in any frame.

“There”, Skinner said.

Scully is seen walking inside the building and logging in. She then rode the elevator and stopped at the hallway to talk to another doctor before she entered the autopsy room.

“What happened? Where’s the footage for that room?” Mulder asked.

“There’s a camera inside of that room but I cannot access it. It must have been off earlier”, the operator answered.

Mulder and Skinner looked at each other, both thinking of the same thing. After a few minutes, a man exited the room pushing the autopsy table with a body on it. The body was covered with white sheet so they cannot see who it was. They waited a few more minutes but no one else came out of the room.

“Backed it up before Scully went inside the room”, Mulder instructed.

He has a hunch. The operator followed and rewind the tape until Mulder saw a man walking towards it.

“Stop”, he said.

The footage played out and Skinner and Mulder watched a man in black suit entered the room. He got his back turned to the camera but when the man lit up a cigarette before entering the room, they knew without a question who it was.

“Mulder—”

“Better pray that smoking bastard did not hurt her”, Skinner followed Mulder to the hallway, “I will not hesitate shooting him on the face this time”, Mulder declared and left the building.

\------------------------------------

LONE GUNMEN’S LAIR

Mulder could not think of anything else that can help him find her. The boys are the best at what they do and he hopes that they can find her before it’s too late.

“What are you doing?” he asked them.

Byers is doing his thing with the computer and Mulder’s brain could not catch up with all the codes.

“He’s running a trace on Scully’s implant using cell towers. She had told us about her implant emitting signals back then but she made us promise to only use it to find her if it’s an emergency. We think this constitutes as an emergency”, Langley answered.

“You knew about this even when Scully ran off with Smoking Man and you did not do this to find her then?” Mulder asked in disbelief.

“You missed the part where she made us promise to only do this if it’s an emergency. She called you that day remember telling you not to worry so we figured she wouldn’t want us to invade her privacy by tracking her chip. To be frank, we are more scared of her than you, you know”, Frohike answered.

Mulder groaned and resumed looking at the screen willing it to show Scully’s location but all he can see are codes. He realized that if the boys can track her implant using cell towers, those who put it in her can do the same too. It scares him to think that she can never be free of that because it’s what’s keeping her alive. She cannot take it out.

“What?” Byers muttered.

“What? What is it?” Mulder asked.

Byers clicked a few keys and a satellite map appeared on the screen.

“She’s still at Quantico”, Byers answered.

“No. We were just there. She cannot be there”, Mulder disagreed.

“I am telling you. She’s in that building”, Byers insisted.

Mulder tried to recall the footage he watched earlier of that man coming out of the autopsy room while pushing an autopsy table. Deep inside, his guts tell him it’s Scully on that table. He remembered the man going on the opposite direction of where the exit was.

“Thanks”, he muttered before rushing out of their lair to get back to Quantico.

\-----------------------------------

QUANTICO

“Are you sure?” Skinner asked when Mulder called him telling what he found out.

_‘Yes! The Gunmen was never wrong about this kind of things. She’s there’_

“Alright…I’ll have the boys sweep the entire building”, he said and hanged up.

Skinner lead a few agents into searching the entire academy for Scully. He hopes that Mulder was right and that she’s there all along, hopefully in one piece.

After almost half an hour into the search, Mulder arrived at the building and met Skinner by the staircase.

“Did you find her?” he asked right away.

“No, but we did find this”, Skinner handed him Scully’s recorder. “We scoured the building from the ground floor up to the rooftop”, he answered.

Mulder studied the recorder which Scully always used during her autopsies to record her findings. There was a tape inside and he knew she had turned it on within the course of the day because she always put on unused tape inside for each case so she can label them accordingly once she’s done. The tape was used.

“Did you check the basement?” Skinner frowned. “Other government buildings got basement. Hoover Building got one. The academy must have one too”, Mulder asked.

“Mulder, our guys did a thorough search including the basement”, Skinner argued.

Mulder began to walk downstairs.

“Yeah, well…they missed something. Smoking Man and his peeps don’t just operate in an open basement. There has to be a secret door down there”, he said and marched towards the basement with Skinner trailing after him.

Mulder had seen the basement of Department of Defense. Who would have thought that it has an underground facility which connects it to the Pentagon. He wouldn’t be surprised if the academy has the same secret floor for the Syndicate.

Skinner watched Mulder scoured the walls for a secret door. He knows he’s going desperate. Scully being pregnant made it worse. He is sure that if anything happens to Scully, Mulder will hunt Smoking Man to the end of the earth and put a bullet on his head for it.

“Got you”, he heard Mulder muttered and the wall opened up, revealing a long hallway they haven’t seen before.

“Holy smoke…” he breathed out.

Mulder turned to him and smirked a little.

“Let’s get moving”, he said and drew out his gun.

Skinner followed his lead and took out his weapon. For all they know, Smoking Man might have been expecting them.

“What is this place?” Skinner asked as his eyes caught glimpse of medical apparatuses.

They have heard a commotion not far from where they are and Mulder walked faster. When he’s certain that it’s coming from a specific room, he did not waste any second and kicked it open. He saw three dead men in white lab coat and then Scully unconscious on the autopsy table with Alex Krycek standing next to her.

“Took you long enough. I’ve been trying to hold them off for hours. We don’t have much time”, Krycek greeted them.

“You’re helping Scully? Why?” Mulder asked with his gun pointed at him. He still doesn’t trust the man who killed his father.

“I have no intention of killing the only person who holds the greatest weapon against the alien colonizers. Now, are you helping or not?” Krycek answered and Mulder did not think twice and scooped Scully into his arms and carried her out of there with Skinner and Krycek following behind him.


	5. Recorded Conversation

CAR

It all happened fast. Mulder ran along with Skinner and Krycek while carrying Scully in his arms to the parking lot. They did not even discuss which car they would take. It was subconsciously decided that Skinner will drive and it would be his car.

“Better start talking now”, Skinner said to Krycek who took the seat next to him.

“They want the cure in Scully’s system. It was the cure for the alien virus and it was the last piece. For some reason, they had lost the formula for it and they couldn’t make another one. When Mulder injected it to Scully in Antartica to save her life, the cure had merged in her bloodstream. She is literally the cure and the Syndicate knows it”, Krycek started.

Mulder began to piece it together. The real reason why the Smoking Man had asked Scully to come with him on that trip could be this very reason. He wanted the cure from her body.

“If Scully is the cure to the alien virus, why are they trying to kill her?” he asked.

Krycek glanced over to them by the mirror.

“Extracting the cure out of Scully is going to kill her. The aliens don’t know that the Syndicate created a cure against their virus and they’re afraid that they will discover it in her. In case you forgot, Scully has an alien implant at the back of her neck which always puts her on the aliens’ radar. Who knows what the aliens will do once they find out the conspirators’ betrayal”, he answered.

“What’s your part in all of this? You’re one of them. Why are you helping Scully? If they want the cure, you’ll still get what you want”, Skinner asked while driving.

“No, I will not get what I want. If the Syndicate gets the cure, do you honestly think they will share it with the rest of the world?” of course, the answer is no. “I joined them so I can make sure that the aliens will not win in colonizing us. Hoarding the cure that can save us all so they can select the ‘elites’ to benefit from it is not one of the reasons I worked for them”,

He took another glance towards an unconscious Scully.

“Agent Scully is a brilliant scientist. Make sure she finds out about the cure in her and hopefully she finds a safe way to replicate it for our sake. If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s her. It’s our only hope when it all goes down to hell”, Krycek answered.

Mulder’s hand landed on her neck and he felt her temperature.

“She’s burning up. What did they do to her?” he asked.

Skinner turned to Krycek who is frowning.

“I am not sure. When I got there, they’re prepping her up for extraction. Spender had already left the facility. I had to kill those guards before I removed the needles on her arm so I have no idea what they gave her”, Krycek answered.

“Alright, change of plans. Take her to the hospital”, Mulder decided.

“That’s not a good idea. They will be looking for her. You can’t take her to the hospital”, Krycek disagreed.

“I don’t care if I have to shoot people in public. She is pregnant and she needs to be checked by her doctor”, he locked eyes with Krycek before meeting Skinner’s eyes through the mirror. “Georgetown”, he said and his boss nodded.

\-----------------------------------

GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL

Scully was rushed to the room right away with Dr. Foster. Skinner and Krycek patrolled the surroundings of the floor while Mulder stayed by the door where Scully is being treated. They are all on the edge. If what’s inside Scully is so valuable for the Syndicate, they will not stop until they get it from her. If the aliens find out about it, they will take her again too. Mulder’s brain is racing as to how he can better protect her. She’s going to be a mother even though they’re not sure what her child will be. He suddenly remembered the recorder in his pocket. It is a great time to listen to it now while waiting. He needs to know everything so he can help her.

_“You…”_

_“Good to see you again, Agent Scully. I must say I already missed your company after we part”,_

Mulder’s jaw clenched when he heard Smoking Man’s voice.

 _“What did you do to me?”_ he listened Scully asked.

_“Agent Scully, I don’t know what you mean”,_

_“Stop lying to me! You drugged me while we were in that trip. Don’t deny it. I know you did. You did something to me because if you did not, I wouldn’t be pregnant right now, carrying god knows what! So I am asking you, what did you do to me this time?”_

_“I have nothing to do with your pregnancy, Agent Scully”,_

Wait…what?

_“I am so tired of being your lab rat…what more could you possibly want from me? You already took everything. I lost three months of my life. I couldn’t have children. I had cancer. I could not live without this damn implant at the back of my neck. You killed my sister. Isn’t that enough?”_

Mulder felt stabbing pain in his chest as the tone of despair registered in her voice.

_“I had other purpose for inviting you on that trip. That’s true. It was also true that I drugged you. My instruction was to obtain something precious in your system, something that’s not meant to be yours but thanks to Agent Mulder’s heroic rescue of you in Antartica, it is now coursing through your veins”,_

Smoking Man just confirmed what Alex Krycek just said in the car.

_“The cure for the alien virus”,_

_“Yes. There are people who want that out of you and I was tasked to obtain it but as I was about to do that, something was different in your vitals. I discovered you’re carrying a life inside of you. Imagine my surprise when I found out about that. I am many things, Agent Scully, but at that moment, I couldn’t bear hurting the mother of my grandchild. Like I said, you have a special place in my heart. Extracting that cure from your body is going to kill you and your unborn child so I aborted the plan and killed the man sent to kill you in case I failed to do it. There’s your answer, Agent Scully. Whether you believe me or not, is entirely up to you”,_

Hold up. If the Smoking Man was not behind Scully’s pregnancy and it was not the IVF, does it mean that they have conceived a child naturally? Is it possible? They have tried before. Scully does not have any ova left. Is it a miracle? Is the Smoking Man telling the truth or is it one of his cruel games?

_“I believed you once and looked at what I got from it”,_

Mulder felt bad about how he dealt with the whole trip situation. He made her feel bad about it when it was not her fault. She was just taking a leap of faith like what he wanted her to do from day one.

_“…like I said, it’s entirely up to you whether to believe me or not but I am telling you the truth. I have no hand in your pregnancy. You should thank my son”,_

So, the Smoking Man knew he’s the father…

_“Then why are you here?”_

Mulder heard how her breathing became fast.

_“Although I have avoided harming you in the past, I cannot extend the same graciousness to you anymore. Your very existence is a threat to their plans”,_

Mulder heard her gasped and groaned. She was attacked. He can hear struggle before the sound of a thud was heard through the recording.

_“I am so sorry, Dana. I have no choice this time”,_

_No choice, my ass!_ Mulder thought. He listened closely for any sign that Scully was alright but he had not heard her voice again.

 _“What do we do?”_ another voice asked.

 _“Take her downstairs. The team is already there waiting for her. Once the extraction is done, you know what to do”,_ Smoking Man instructed.

 _“Make it look like an accident”_ , the mystery man said.

 _“Exactly”,_ Smoking replied before Mulder heard the wheels of the autopsy table. _“It’s me. It’s done. Yes. Agent Scully is on her way to the lab at the basement for extraction. No. It was just us. See you when it’s done”,_ he then said to whom Mulder guessed as someone he spoke with on the phone.

That was the last thing heard on the recorder before the tape ran out.

He does not know what to make of it exactly. On one hand, he’s beaming with joy to know that she’s carrying their child together. Their baby is not a product of any experiment, just the product of their love for one another. On the other hand, he confirmed how great her life is in danger. They want the cure inside of her so badly, they are willing to abduct her in her workplace and kill her and her unborn child for it. Smoking Man knew she’s pregnant. It’s the reason why he had let her walk out of that trip unharmed but like what he said, he couldn’t do that anymore. There are other people in their wretched organization who want her gone and the cure in their hands.

“Agent Mulder”, Dr. Foster’s voice snapped him out of his trance.

“How is she?” he asked.

“She’s stable now. We found traces of tranquilizer in her system which knocked her out fast. It was a strong tranquilizer for a pregnant woman. Given her medical history, her body reacted fast and she developed a fever. Now, fever is dangerous for the baby. We were able to lower down her temperature. She needs to rest now. I don’t know how many times I have to stress this enough. Dana is in her first trimester. She shouldn’t be on the field, Agent Mulder”, Dr. Foster answered with emphasis.

“I know. You know her. She’s not easily deterred but I will do my best to keep her out of trouble”, he replied vaguely.

He couldn’t exactly tell her that someone abducted Scully and tried to kill her by extracting the cure from her body.

“I will hold you to that, Agent Mulder. By the way, her first trimester screening’s result came back as well as her amnio. The baby is normal so she can relax about that part. I will come back later to check on her”, Dr. Foster mentioned before leaving the room.

Mulder entered Scully’s room and saw her still sleeping. She looked more relax now than from when he found her in that underground lab room in Quantico. He would prefer her to be in her apartment and not in the hospital but at least, she’s safe and the baby is safe. That safety is not going to last very long and he knows that. They will still come after her and he cannot allow them to win, especially that they’ve got a child on the way. He needs to come up with something in order to make sure that the Syndicate will not get their hands on her.

Slowly, Scully’s opened and he’s the first she saw.

“Mulder? What happened?” she asked.

“Hey…you’re back here in Georgetown”, she frowned, “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked her back.

“Smoking Man…he was in Quantico. He set me up. I wanted to shoot him so badly but then, I got stung. No. I got injected and I…I don’t remember”, her hand found his. “He said he wanted the cure you gave me, Mulder”, she answered.

“That is true. I got your recorder and I listened to it. Great move on recording your conversation. Also, Alex Krycek saved your life. He was already there when Skinner and I found you at the secret lab underground of the academy. He helped us get you out of there. He’s with Skinner now patrolling the surrounding the area”, he explained.

“The baby? Is the baby okay?” she asked. She can still recall what the Smoking Man told her. He said he had nothing to do with her pregnancy. She needs to tell Mulder that it might have been theirs.

“Don’t worry. Dr. Foster said the baby’s fine after she scolded me for letting you work on your first trimester. She also said that your screening test result came back and the baby is normal”, he smiled and she knew that Mulder already knows the truth. “Get some rest. I will be right here, Scully. I promise”, he said before placing a kiss on her forehead and then she dozed off.


	6. Negotiation

Danger did not come to them at the hospital, but they have kept their eyes open. Alex Krycek took off after helping them secure Scully while she was hospitalized. After a few days, Mulder had taken Scully back to her apartment where he had not left her side since. Dr. Foster reminded him of the importance for Scully to rest and he insisted that on Scully who finally yielded and agreed to take a few days off. Skinner would prefer it to be weeks off but at least, she agreed to stepping back from doing field assignments up until the baby is born.

Scully had turn in to bed when Skinner went to her apartment to talk to Mulder.

“Mulder, that is insane. You’re not seriously going through that plan and they will not believe you. They will know you’re bluffing”, Skinner exclaimed when Mulder told him his plan to get the Syndicate off of Scully’s back.

It is a very insane plan and he knows that but it’s the only thing he can think of that will make them back off.

“They want that cure so desperately but other than, what else do they fear? They are afraid that the aliens will find out that they went behind their backs and created a cure for the alien virus. That is a betrayal of the highest order and those greedy men are only interested in saving themselves. If the aliens find out about what they did, they will be killed just like those who got charred, and this time, it will include that chain-smoking bastard. This is the only thing that will keep them at bay. Otherwise, they will keep coming for Scully”, Mulder explained.

Skinner understood Mulder’s point of view. Scully is a strong person but she can’t be subjected to abductions her entire life. She’s going to be a mother soon and her life wouldn’t be the only one in danger anymore, her baby too.

“What if they don’t believe you?” he asked Mulder.

“They will…trust me”, Mulder answered.

Skinner sighed and rubbed his forehead before agreeing to what Mulder is planning.

“Alright…what do you need from me?” he asked again.

“I need you to set me up a meeting with _him_ , just the two of us. You will stay here with Scully. I don’t want them to take that chance to get to her. I want her protected while I negotiate with that chain-smoking bastard”, Mulder answered.

It is a risk, a very high risk, but what other choice do they have? Running is one but it’s not a solution for life.

“Fine. I’ll make it happen but please promise me you’re not going to do anything that’s crazier than what you’re already planning”, Skinner demanded.

Mulder gave him a smirk.

“I promise to try but it depends on the Smoking Man”, he replied.

\----------------------------------

Scully woke up when the sunlight from the window hits her face. She let out a groan from being woken up against her will. Technically, she’s on leave and she’s not supposed to be woken up early, but she cannot go back to sleep now. Besides, she’s hungry. When she turned to her side, she found no Mulder sleeping next to her. Perhaps, he’s up early and is already making breakfast? Her stomach growled at the thought.

She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to fix herself. After brushing her teeth and applying her day cream, she put on a huge shirt of Mulder’s and went outside to see what he’s cooking. When she got to the kitchen, breakfast is being served, yes, but it was not Mulder who’s making it. It’s Skinner.

“Sir? What are you doing here? Where’s Mulder?” she asked.

She should feel uncomfortable wearing only Mulder’s shirt in front of her boss but it’s Skinner. He’s family to her and she knows he wouldn’t mind. It’s not a secret to him of her relationship with Mulder. He knows she’s pregnant with Mulder’s child for god’s sake.

“Agent Mulder is just taking care of something but he will be here shortly. Have a seat. Breakfast is almost done. I take it you stopped with coffee for now. Hold on, let me make you some tea”, he answered and resumed working in the kitchen.

She watched him closely. Something is up with Skinner. He seems agitated, on the edge, worried.

“Sir, what are you not telling me?” she asked.

“Why would you think that, Agent Scully?” he asked her back in order to deflect.

“You’re never jumpy and yet here you are on the verge of scrubbing my kitchen clean just to avoid looking at me in the eyes. Where is Mulder?” she repeated her first question.

Skinner stopped squabbling and turned back to her. She’s only wearing a t-shirt that’s too big for her and she’s barefooted, but she seems so much taller than him with her intense eyes and sharp mind. He just knew that he’s not going to win this one with her.

“He asked me to set up a meeting for him and the Smoking Man?”

“What?” she cut in.

“He’s going to negotiate with him concerning your safety”, he continued.

Scully couldn’t believe what she’s hearing. Why would Mulder voluntarily meet up with that evil man despite the big possibility of a trap?

“How is he going to do that?” she asked in between her gritted teeth.

“…by blackmailing them with a threat that he will reveal to the aliens about the cure they made”, Scully frowned. “He said that once you mentioned about having Duane Barry’s implant and ran it to the grocery store’s scanner. After that Duane Barry found your apartment. The Gunmen also used your implant to track your location when we couldn’t find you. Mulder’s not going to reveal about the Gunmen and that your implant is traceable by humans but he will used the Duane Barry story. He’s bluffing, of course, but he’s determined to convince them that he will go through with it if they don’t stop coming at you”, he answered.

Scully shivered at the memory of Duane Barry abducting her. It’s where it all started. She got abducted for three months, returned without any memories of it, discovered her implant, got cancer, got cured, couldn’t get pregnant, got abducted again and put in a pod in Antartica, got injected by a cure, got miraculously pregnant and now being hunted for the cure that was previously injected in her. She knows that Mulder is not really going to call out the attention of the aliens about the cure in her body but to think that it is the only way to protect her from the men who would kill her to get it scares her. She has no escape. Both men and aliens will come after her if Mulder’s bluff did not work.

“Do you think it will work?” she whispered.

“I believe in Mulder. Those men are afraid of being found out by the aliens. They fear for their lives. Mulder can be very convincing. If he thinks it’s going to work, we have to believe in him”, Skinner affirmed.

Scully allowed herself to breathe. She has to remind herself that it’s not good for her to be stressed.

“Alright…I’ll try and do that”, she replied.

\-----------------------------------

WAREHOUSE

Mulder is patiently waiting for the Smoking Man to arrive. It is surprising that Skinner was able to arrange the meeting so fast this morning. Apparently, the Smoking Man is anxious to speak with him about Scully. It’s desperation taking over.

“Agent Mulder”, Smoking Man greeted him when he arrived.

Mulder fought the urge to just shoot him on sight.

“I told you to stay away from her and you kidnapped her, tried to kill her”, he muttered in anger.

“Is that why you asked to meet? To inform me of your frustration? This is bigger than your feelings or Agent Scully’s life or that of her unborn child. This is about survival of everyone from the colonizers. That cure is the only way we can ensure that”, Smoking Man said.

He scoffed at that.

“Cut the crap. You’re not interested in saving the humanity. You’re only interested in saving yourself and a few of your friends. You held the cure in your hands and you did not bother replicating it because you never intended to distribute it to everyone. I want you and your friends to back off from Scully. You don’t get to touch her, hurt her, even talk to her. Is that clear?” Mulder demanded.

Smoking Man smiled at his son.

“…and if we don’t? What then?” he asked mockingly.

Mulder smiled and revealed a barcode scanner to his biological father.

“Did you know that this seemingly ordinary device can detect and scan an alien implant?” Smoking Man’s smile vanished from his face. “Scully did it once with the implant she got from Duane Barry’s body. She wasn’t aware of what it would do at the time. She was purchasing something from the grocery store and curiosity won her over and she put it on the scanner. The computer went crazy, she said. After a few minutes, Duane Barry woke up from the hospital, walked the entire way to Scully’s apartment despite not knowing where she lives and abducted her. Any idea why Duane Barry was able to find where Scully lives?” Mulder asked.

“The implant…it was somehow activated, sent signal out there”, Smoking Man guessed.

“That’s right, old man! Now, if you don’t stop hunting her down, I will put this scanner at the back of her neck and activate that implant of hers. I am pretty sure that the aliens have advanced technology that can determine Scully’s health using that implant and then they can discover that cure you’re dying to get out of her, the cure you made”, he laid it out.

“You’re not going to go through with it because they will come for Scully. They wouldn’t want anything to stop their plans. They will abduct her again and you will never see her again”, Smoking Man countered.

Mulder made a face.

“True but who do you think they will come after first? Scully, the one who holds a cure to their virus in her body or the conspirators who betrayed them and went behind their backs to create that cure? My money is with you guys”, Mulder argued.

Smoking Man looks conflicted. He knew Mulder has a point. The aliens will never forgive them. Scully is just one human being. They can extract that cure from her fast, even without killing her and her baby with their technology. The aliens are not going to show them that kind of mercy. They wouldn’t be able to hide. They will be killed like the others.

“Aren’t you the clever one, Agent Mulder? Willing to risk the woman he loves in order to protect her…what a contradiction”, he muttered.

“She’s not just the woman I love. She’s also the mother of my child. I will do anything to protect them. It is something you wouldn’t understand”, Mulder spat.

“I am a father too, Fox”, Smoking Man reminded him.

“…who handed his daughter to the aliens for collateral, repeatedly manipulated his first-born son and shot his other son on the face. That title is not suited for someone like you. Now what’s your decision going to be?” Mulder asked.

“Very well…we will stop our efforts in hunting Agent Scully. Rest assured that we will not harm her in any way. She’s the most precious thing in the world right now but in one condition: promise me she will try to use her scientific knowledge to have that cure reproduce from her system. You may think of us as selfish bastards and you may be right but we made that cure and that cure is the only hope this world has against the virus. If you don’t succeed in replicating it, everyone dies…including your unborn child”, Smoking Man proposed.

It is the same thing Krycek said when he helped them rescue Scully. He saved her because he believed that she could replicate the cure that’s within her to help everyone. It is a lot of faith to put on one person but he believes in her too. Apparently, Smoking Man shares the same belief. He knows that Scully will do everything in her power to do that because of her big heart.

“You don’t have to tell her that. Scully is the most selfless person I know but I am sure you already know that considering it’s the same thing you used to get her to come to you on that trip. I expect you to honor our deal or you can expect the aliens at your front doors ready to burn you alive just like the others”, Mulder agreed and they ended their meeting.


	7. Bellefleur

SCULLY’S APARTMENT

“What the hell were you thinking?” is the first thing Scully said when Mulder walked in through her door.

She’s already on her feet and Skinner didn’t know where to go. It’s not the kind of situation he wants to get himself into but he’s concerned about Scully’s health and she’s extremely pissed at Mulder. She was fine a while ago but he should have known by now that she can hide her emotions perfectly well.

“Didn’t you tell her?” Mulder asked him instead of responding to Scully.

“He did and now I am asking you”, she cut in with firm tone.

“Scully, it’s the only way to get them to stop and it worked. They’re not going to abduct you again. They’re not going to try and kill you”, Mulder tried to explain but he can see her getting red.

Scully pinched the top of her nose for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“Sir, I appreciate you being and here and keeping me company but I would like to be alone with Agent Mulder please”, she requested.

Actually, Skinner was very happy to be dismissed by his agent. He did not want to get in the middle of their fight.

“Sure. I will see you both around”, he agreed and left in a haste to avoid the war.

Mulder turned to Scully who is very pissed at him.

“Scully, I wouldn’t have done if I knew it’s not worth it. It was worth it. Yes, it was dangerous but I want to protect you and our child. I can’t let you have a life always looking behind your back, worrying whether someone will kidnap you again. Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same if the situation is reversed”, he explained.

She sighed. The fight in her just left her body. Of course, she would’ve done the same thing. It’s how they operate. They will die for each other and they both know that.

“I was worried the entire time, Mulder”, she confessed.

He took few steps and engulfed her with his arms.

“I’m sorry but I only did it for you and our kid. I’m sorry for making you worry”, he apologized.

She nuzzled deep in his warmth, trying to calm herself.

“Did it really work?” she asked.

Mulder pulled back so he can look into her face.

“It did. Well, they hope you will try and replicate the cure for others. With your medical knowledge, they believe that you can”, he answered.

“If I had known it then after you saved me, I would have spent more time in the lab finding a way to create more of that cure than having beer with you in your apartment while watching those crappy movies”, she teased.

He raised an eyebrow before pretending to be hurt by her comment about his taste in films.

“You wound me Scully”, he uttered dramatically and it made her laugh.

“We’re having a baby, Mulder”, she said.

“Yes, Scully. We are and I cannot wait”, he replied and pressed his lips on hers.

\-----------------------------------

Three months into Scully’s pregnancy, everything is running smoothly. She had returned to work and on the field with Mulder taking lighter cases. When things get rough, she does not need to be told twice to take a step back. Both of them valued their child’s safety so she knows better than to be stubborn and insist to be on the front line. Mulder also knows better than to risk himself and leave Scully alone. He knows how bad it will stress her to worry about him and he has no intention of dying, not without meeting his kid so he holds himself back whenever things get exciting.

Only Skinner and the Gunmen know about the baby. Scully planned on telling her family about it on Christmas so everyone can be there and after that, they will make it official at the bureau. She’s not showing yet so no one suspects a thing but she and Mulder already went shopping for baby things and Mulder is already planning what the nursery room will look like in Scully’s apartment. They have discussed already about him giving up his place to move in with her considering her apartment is bigger than his. She agreed on bringing his fish so that settles everything.

Like what they said, all good things must come to an end. The happy life came to a full stop when the Bellefleur, Oregon case landed on their laps…for the second time. Billy Miles, now a deputy sheriff, called them about his concern about the abductions starting to happen again in their town. Scully insisted on coming since their first time did not really do any harm to them other than losing nine minutes of their time and being soaked in the rain. Mulder took that in consideration and despite his need to protect her, he needs her expertise.

“Are you going to invite your brother when we tell them about the baby?” he asked while they’re on the road.

“The idea is to tell my family, Mulder. Bill is part of that family”, she answered.

“Yeah…well, I just think that he’s going to beat me up so good if he finds out”, he muttered.

She gasped and stared at him in disbelief.

“Fox Mulder…are you scared of my big brother?” she asked in mockery.

Mulder frowned at her and quickly shook his head.

“What? No! I am just saying that he never liked me. He didn’t like before he even met me. Now, we’re going to tell him that I knocked his baby sister. I am bound to get punched, Scully”, he explained in his defense.

She tried to suppress her laughter but she failed.

“Sorry”,

“It’s not funny, Scully”, he deadpanned.

“I know. Don’t worry about, Bill. He can dislike everything all he wants but we’re going to have a baby. I am going to be a mother and you’re going to be a father. That’s all that matters whether they approve or not. We don’t need permission to be happy”, she said and it made him smile and relaxed.

\----------------------------------

BELLEFLEUR, OREGON

As soon as they arrived at the town, Scully couldn’t explain the feeling she’s getting deep within her guts. It’s not the same from the last time they came there. Something is not right in Bellefleur and Mulder is not feeling it. She watched him talked Billy Miles who told them his father is acting strange after responding to a call of a wildfire in the woods.

They have gone their usual routine. They talked to people who knew the missing persons in town which includes Theresa Nemman. Her husband Deputy Hoese is one of the missing person. Scully is experiencing extreme déjà vu and it’s making her feel dizzy and sick.

“Are you okay?” Mulder asked when he noticed her gone pale.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just dizzy, that’s all. We haven’t eaten anything since we arrived here”, she answered.

Mulder seems to buy that and he insisted of them going back to the motel to rest and eat. It was uncharacteristic of Scully to come in his room and asked to sleep with him to be warm when she had stuck to the bureau’s policy of not sharing rooms with partners. Mulder brushed it off thinking that she got used of them sleeping next to each other at home and she cannot sleep alone in her motel room.

The next day, they met a guy named Ritchie who told them his friend Gary had gone missing too. The boy took them to where he last saw his friend and Mulder realized that Scully had wandered off without him.

“Scully?” he called but no one responded. “Scully!” she yelled.

He and Ritchie scattered around to find her.

“Found her!” the boy yelled.

Mulder ran to them and saw Scully on the ground with her nose bleeding. He quickly picked her head from the ground and set it gently on his lap.

“Scully? Come on. Wake up”, he said as Ritchie called for help.

She slowly opened her eyes and for a moment she saw different flashes of lights before everything became normal in her sight.

“What happened?” she asked as she tried to get up herself.

“I should be the one asking you that. You passed out”, he answered.

He wiped the blood from her nose and for a moment it alarmed her when she saw it but it could be anything. She’s not experiencing any symptoms and according to her last check up, she’s in perfect health. There is nothing to worry about other than the ill feeling in her guts about the town they’re in.

“I was just walking around when I felt some wave hit me and that was it”, she recalled.

“Come on. Let’s go back to the motel”, he said and she obliged.

\-----------------------------------

HOOVER BUILDING

After series of interviews, Mulder had insisted on coming back to D.C. so they can ask for insights from the Gunmen about the case since they did not crack any while they were there. Scully, still feeling that horrid aura of Bellefleur, agreed just to get out of there.

When they arrived at the bureau, Alex Krycek was there waiting for them with Skinner and the Gunmen. He explained about the spaceship that was supposed to be in Bellefleur but no one can find it. Smoking Man was adamant that it was there and he had contracted Krycek to find the ship. Like them, they did not find any but the Syndicate had disposed a team there to set up perimeter to detect the spacecraft that’s supposed to be taking what turns out to be previous abductees.

As soon as that fact was established, Mulder made a snap decision.

“You’re stepping back”, he said to Scully who frowned at him.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Didn’t you hear what Langly said? They’re taking abductees. Deputy Hoese was an abductee. Theresa Nemman was an abductee. Billy Miles was an abductee who had gone missing too hours ago. Find any connection yet?”

She knows where he’s getting at but couldn’t bring herself to tell him, to tell him that odd feeling she got when they were there, some sort of connection to something…

“You’re also an abductee, Scully, which makes you a target”, he finished.

“It could be a coincidence, Mulder. Gary is not an abductee. Billy Miles’ father is not an abductee but they’re both missing too”, she argued.

“Really? You’re going to question this one even though I can already see it in your eyes that you believe what I was saying?” he asked in disbelief before taking a deep breath and dragging her outside the room for privacy.

“I am coming with you, Mulder”, she said once they’re outside.

“I thought we agreed that when things get tough, you will take a step back?” he asked.

“Yet, here you are ready to go back there alone”, she spat.

“Believe me, I would love to have you there with me because I hate working alone but there are people missing, Scully. Are we supposed to just let them be gone?” he asked again.

“I don’t want you to go back there alone. I will not let you go back there alone, Mulder”, she insisted.

To make sure Mulder is not going to be alone, Scully had asked Skinner to accompany him in Bellefleur. It’s not for the Assistant Director to go on the field to work on a case anymore but for Scully, he agreed.

“Can I ask you a favor, sir?”

“Sure. What is it, Agent Scully?” he asked.

“Watch over, Mulder. He’s bound to do something extreme in order to save people and I know it is our job but I am asking you to keep him safe. Bring him back to me alive. I can’t do this without him”, she answered.

Skinner gently squeezed her shoulder before letting go.

“I will. I promise”, he replied, and it’s a promise he’s not going to be able to keep.


	8. Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mentions of depression...

SCULLY’S APARTMENT

Skinner sat outside Scully’s apartment for almost an hour when he got back from Bellefleur. He does not know how to tell her what happened. ‘ _Hey Scully, we were just strolling through the woods and then Mulder was gone and I searched and searched everywhere but I couldn’t find him. He’s gone’?_ He promised Scully he’s going to watch over Mulder. He’s going to keep him safe and bring him back to her. He had failed to keep that promise and now, the father of her unborn child is missing. He needs to tell her. She has the right to know and he knows that she will hate him for this, but she has to know.

He took a deep breath and mustered all the courage he can get before knocking on her door. It did not take long before Scully opened the door like she had been expecting him. Well, she’s expecting anyone really. She’s been very anxious while waiting for any news about Mulder. It’s been almost 24 hours since he called her last.

_‘How’s you and junior holding up?’_

_‘Junior, Mulder? What if it’s a girl?’_

_‘I have a strong feeling it’s a junior, Scully. It’s going to be a mini-Mulder’_

_‘Keep dreaming, Mulder. How you guys doing over there?’_

_‘Steady…we found those men that were trying to find the spacecraft but we haven’t stumbled upon it yet. Good news, no new missing person has been reported since we got here but we still haven’t found any of the missing ones yet’_

_‘When are you coming back?’_

_‘Skinman and I talked that if we still did not get a lead tomorrow, we’re heading back’_

_‘Alright. I’ll wait for your call tomorrow then’_

_‘Scully’_

_‘Yeah?’_

_‘I love you…and I love our kiddo. You know that right?’_

_‘We love you too, Mulder. Stay safe’_

Her eyes darted over Skinner’s shoulders but she found no Mulder with him which made her heart started pounding hard in her chest.

“Sir, where is Mulder?” she asked nervously.

It seems like he cannot speak yet so she had allowed him inside her apartment and she quietly closed the door. She watched her boss tried to search for words, compose his thoughts, and it’s making her panic.

“Sir?” she asked again, her voice trembled.

“I lost him…” she saw his lips quiver. He’s fighting back his tears. “We were in the woods last night. He was just there and…I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t see him and I called. I yelled his name but no one answered. I searched the entire woods for him but we found no Mulder. It’s like one second he was there with me and then the next, he was gone”, he answered.

Every word hits her hard like a bullet being fired right through her chest. It’s making it difficult for her to breathe. She should be crying but her body does not know how to react.

“I am so sorry, Dana…” she heard him apologized.

He is now sobbing.

“It’s not your fault”, was all that she managed to say before she quietly left him in her living room and locked herself inside their bedroom.

She did not know if Skinner had stayed or left but she does not care. She wants to be alone. Mulder’s shirt is still laying on his side of the bed and she clings to it for dear life. He is missing, just like those other people, just like her years ago. He is gone and she’s pregnant with their child. What is she supposed to do now?

\------------------------------------

Days became weeks and still, Mulder is missing. Skinner and Kersh had assigned a team to find him. She heard it was being led by an agent named John Doggett. She had been invited a few times for a talk but she ignored them. She knows the procedure. She will be asked bunch of questions and those questions are bound to be personal and she does not have the stamina for it.

Skinner came thrice a week to check on her to make sure she’s taking care of herself. When she arrived at the Hoover Building, Agent Doggett had paid her a visit.

“Agent Scully, I’ve been wanting to talk to you”, the man said.

Skinner said he’s a straight cop and that he’s dedicated in finding Mulder but she’s still not trusting anyone. It’s something she had learned from Mulder.

“I know. I got your invitations, but I was not feeling well, Agent Doggett”, she replied coldly.

“I can understand that it’s hard to lose your partner—”

“Is that your report, Agent Doggett? You’re making it sound like Agent Mulder is dead”, she deadpanned.

“No. It’s not what I meant. I was told you two are close so I cannot imagine what it feels like for you”, he clarified.

She scoffed and looked away.

“No, you cannot. Listen, I know it’s procedure to talk to me about Agent Mulder’s disappearance but I cannot tell you any more than what A.D. Skinner did. I got some work to do here, if you don’t mind”, she said.

“Got it…just want to let you know that if anything comes to mind, you know where I am”, he replied and left her in peace.

Being inside their office feels strange for her. She’s not used to being alone in there without Mulder’s teasing and outrageous theories filling up the space in the room. Suddenly, she feels small. Mulder left a huge space and she cannot do anything to fill it. Her hand landed on her belly and even that does not suffice in filling the gap that he had left.

“Damn it, Mulder”, she whispered as she finally allows herself to break down.

She was not able to cry in her apartment since Skinner told her that Mulder is missing and she thought it would come but she had not expected for it to hit her in their office. Her sobs rocked her entire body. Everywhere she looks in the room, it screams Mulder. She can literally see him sitting on his chair, eating sunflower seeds and smirking at her. How can one man occupy so much space in her heart and leave it empty just like that? Why does he have to be so stubborn and went to that forsaken town? Not getting the answers to her questions by staring at Mulder’s desk, she bolted out of the room and drove to the people that might help.

\----------------------------------

LONE GUNMEN’S LAIR

She had asked the boys in desperation to find Mulder. She has nowhere to turn. It’s not like she can take on X Files cases in order to find Mulder. Skinner will not allow her due to her pregnancy and she does not know any means to find him. She hopes that the Gunmen can work their way somehow.

“We tried everything, Scully. There’s just no trace of Mulder anywhere. He just vanished”, Frohike said.

“It’s the same thing when you were abducted. No trace. No signal whatsoever”, Byers added.

Scully bit her lower lip and nodded.

“Alright…just let me know if anything turns up”, she muttered.

“Of course, are you okay to drive? We can take you home or you can stay here for tonight”, Langly offered.

“No, thank you. I want to go home”, she declined and left.

\---------------------------------

MAGGIE’S HOUSE

It is Christmas time and the Scully Family gathered in Maggie’s house to celebrate. It is not a secret to them that Mulder has been missing. Though they don’t him well, Maggie felt bad for her daughter who is greatly affected about it.

Tonight is the night where she and Mulder are supposed to announce to them about her pregnancy but now, she cannot bring herself to do it without him. This is supposed to be their moment.

All of them sat on the dinner table as they share the feast Maggie had prepared but it’s not a festive night. Everyone is quiet because they worried about Scully. Charlie has been fighting the urge to console his sister since he knows she hates being coddled but Bill couldn’t just simply help himself.

“Dana, you can’t just sulk the entire night. Come on, it’s Christmas. Lighten up”, he expressed.

“Bill”, Maggie reprimanded.

Scully’s cold and dull eyes met his and Bill’s smug smile vanished from his face. She returned her gaze on her plate and played with her food she does not intend to eat.

“Okay, it’s been what? Almost a month now? I get it you care about your partner but you can’t just drop everything for him and stop living your life, Dana”,

“Bill, stop”, Maggie cut in but her son did not listen.

“Honestly, that man is no good for you anyway. Since you met him, he just screwed up your life. Think of this as your chance to start over. Move on. Live your life without being hospitalized every single time”, he went on.

Scully dropped the fork on her plate and it shocked everyone. All eyes turned on her. She kept her gaze onto her plate. There is so much she wants to say to her brother, to put him back to his place but no words will come out of her. She’s tired. She just wants to go home and lie down on her bed with Mulder’s shirt. It’s the only thing that’s making her feel like he’s still with her, that she’s not alone.

“Thanks for the dinner, Mom”, she muttered lowly, but they all heard it.

“Dana—” Maggie tried to comfort her daughter.

“Seriously?” she heard Bill expressed.

Scully got up and placed her table napkin onto the table gently despite the raging storm in her.

“I’m pregnant”, it caused for everyone to gasp and widen their eyes at her, “…and I can’t sit here listen to my brother, of all people, tell me I’m better off without the father of my child so I appreciate being invited here but I would rather spend the Christmas alone than be in the same room with you”, she blurted out before taking off.

\-----------------------------------

It’s now how she intended to break the news to her family but she cannot help it. They were supposed to tell them, she and Mulder, not her alone. She wanted to scream. She wanted to curse Mulder for leaving her alone to do this. She wanted to yell at him for not listening to her, for being so goddamn stubborn…but she knows her scream will not do anything to help find him.

So, when she got back to work, she finally let everyone knows she’s pregnant. She never revealed who’s the father but everyone already suspects it to be Mulder. Well, it’s not like she had dated anyone else since she became partner with him. Agent Doggett finally understood why she’s evading him and he respected her wishes. In fact, it made him more protective of her. He had talked with the other agents who were spreading rumors about her to stop and since he’s Kersh’s golden boy, they listened. Making life easier for Scully is the only way Doggett knows how to help her while searching for Mulder.

More months had passed, and Scully is already showing. She got stuck with lab work and autopsies and still no Mulder. She had long stopped communicating with people other than those she needed to talk to when it comes to work. When Skinner comes to see her, she keeps it brief. She wants to be alone. Her mother offered help but she declined. Her brothers called her multiple times and they all went to answering machine. She had cut off everyone because she does not want anyone else. She wants only Mulder.

Staring at her round belly, she ran her fingers, trying to feel something, any connection towards her child but she’s just numb. Her medical brain is diagnosing herself as someone going through a perinatal depression as she lists down the symptoms. Everything checks out and yet, she could not bring herself to do something about it. _What for?_ She asked herself. Mulder is not here and she does not want to do it alone. He promised.

It was late at night and she’s already in bed when her phone rings. As usual, she ignored it and tried her best to go back to sleep as she nuzzled her nose into Mulder’s shirt. It’s the only thing that’s sending her to sleep. Otherwise, she’ll be staring onto the ceiling all night long.

 _‘Scully, I know you’re there please pick up. It’s about Mulder’_ she heard Skinner’s voice.

She sat right up and almost ran to the phone to pick it up.

“What about Mulder?” she asked.

“We found him, Scully”, he answered.


	9. Cured

GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL

Over speeding is against the law and as a federal agent, Scully should be aware of that but since Skinner told her that they have found Mulder, she grabbed everything her hands could in her apartment and tried to make her car fly to Georgetown Hospital. If Mulder is in the hospital, it means that he is alive, but she could not help but think that he’s in a bad shape and if he is, she needs to be there to save him.

Her parking was all screwed up but instead of fixing it, she flashed her badge to the guard who was about to tell her off and tossed him her keys. It’s usually Mulder’s move to use their position as federal agent but it’s a life and death situation. She has no time to be modest.

“Where is he?” is her first question when she saw Skinner standing in the hallway with Agent Doggett.

The latter was alarmed to see her there like she’s not meant to be there but she was not asking him. She’s asking Skinner.

“They’re checking him out. He’s in a bad condition, Dana”, he answered.

Doggett knows that when Skinner called Scully by her first name, he’s not speaking as their boss anymore. He’s talking to her as her friend and he does not want to destroy that by being the devil’s advocate. It’s just that, if Mulder does not make it, he does not want Scully to see the decline, the sight of Mulder’s tortured body. He’s been in that situation where he had to stare at the corpse of his dead son to identify him after he was murdered. He does not want for Scully to go through the same because he knows she will carry that image of Mulder for the rest of her life. He also worries about her pregnancy as the entire duration of it, she’s under so much stress.

“We found him in Montana. We have been following reports of missing persons suddenly surfacing, the latest before Agent Mulder was Theresa Nemman. She was abducted in Bellefleur, Oregon before Agent Mulder went missing. We arranged for a helicopter to transfer him here right away”,

Scully listened to the man’s explanation with keen ears. They’ve been working on a lead but why was she not informed?

“You have to understand that when we found him, he does not look good. He bears indications of torture on his body. I couldn’t even begin to speculate the things that was done to him. It’s horrible”, Agent Dogget said.

She pushed her own sentiment about being kept in the dark with regards to the investigation and focused on the only one that matters: Mulder.

“I want to see him”, she muttered.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea”, Agent Doggett disagreed.

“I want to see him”, she repeated.

“Dana, the doctors are examining him”, Skinner cut in.

“I am a medical doctor. I want to see him right now”, her voice broke at the last part which is enough to let Skinner know that she needs to see Mulder, not only for him to be examined by her but for her own sake.

She has always been on the edge since he went missing. There is only so much someone can take and Skinner does not want to find out what will happen when she reached her limits.

“Alright…but I am coming with you”, he agreed.

\--------------------------------------

MULDER’S ROOM

Her breathing stopped as soon as she saw what was done to him. The scars on his face, the weight loss, the pale skin, the bandages around his body…they hurt him. She had been abducted before but she did not come back looking like this. It was true she was in a comma at the time and was almost dying but there’s no indication she was tortured. Mulder, on the other hand, is on a comma and obviously tortured.

“Do you want to drink some water?” Skinner asked in concern.

Her tears are flowing freely on her face.

“No, thank you”, she answered.

She let her eyes glanced towards his chart to see the full extent of his injuries. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from sobbing. She needs to keep her medical perspective on. This is a patient who is in need of medical attention as soon as possible. He’s not waking up so something has to be wrong that the doctors couldn’t pinpoint yet. His brain waves are off the chart and some of his cells are messed up. She recognized the works of the aliens and she could only think of one thing to get him to open his eyes.

“I need access to a lab”, she said.

Skinner frowned. He can see that she had figured something out and it is better not to go up against it.

“I’ll talk to the management”, he replied.

\------------------------------------

LABORATORY

Scully had worked on her feet for hours running her own DNA under several apparatuses to help Mulder. If something of alien’s technology or substance is preventing Mulder from waking up and his system to heal, the only thing that can counter it is the cure that’s running in her system. She should have been able to replicate it by now but due to her personal rabbit hole, she was not able to work on it, until now.

She had asked Skinner to watch over Mulder while she was working on it, not trusting anyone around her partner. They returned him. She can think of two reasons why he was returned: they have no use for Mulder or returning him is part of the plan. She’s banking on the last one which means that something bad is about to happen if she does not give him the cure fast.

Some point of the day or night, she couldn’t tell anymore, Doggett informed her that Billy Miles was found too. He was dumped into the ocean and was expected to be dead but he took a turn and started doing better out of nowhere. It scares her. Spontaneous healing is not a thing unless Jeremiah Smith came across your path and healed you. There is something wrong with Billy Miles and that’s bound to happen to Mulder too.

She worked day and night. Skinner and Doggett took turns bringing her meals and waters and vitamins to keep her running. She avoided sleep as much as she can but couldn’t help but dozed off from time to time. Her muscles are sore but she must keep on working. Finally, she’s holding the cure in her hands.

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MULDER’S ROOM

“I am not sure if this is going to work. I am all for it but I don’t want you to cling on false hope and science fiction, Agent Scully”, Doggett expressed.

A non-believer, Scully thought…in some other time, that would make her smile but not right now.

“Make yourself comfortable, Agent Doggett. This is my field now”, she snapped and injected the cure directly on Mulder’s shoulder.

Skinner crossed his fingers in anticipation for the cure. Although he believes it, he had never seen the cure worked before other than what Scully and Mulder had told him about Antartica.

They watched as the color on Mulder’s skin slowly returned to normal. His heartbeat went strong before he shot open his eyes and threw up black liquid onto the floor. Scully recognized it as the black oil but it’s dead. The cure had killed it. She quickly assisted Mulder while Doggett ran outside to call for a doctor.

“Hey, Mulder…it’s me. It’s Scully. Relax and breathe”, she said as she took out the tube from his throat.

Mulder’s eyes are fixed on her as he forced himself to breathe regularly. Skinner is next to Scully with a beaming smile on his face. He’s alive. Mulder is alive.

“Scully?” Mulder muttered with a hoarse voice.

“It’s alright. Don’t force yourself to speak right now. Your throat is still sore but you’ll be okay. I promise. You’re safe now”, she said.

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The doctors were dumbfounded by Mulder’s sudden recovery. They could not explain how his stats went from dwindling to perfect health. His wounds are healing nicely too. It’s like he just had a minor car accident and he’s on his way to discharge soon.

Scully remained by Mulder’s side the whole time. He is stable but he’s been in and out of consciousness. She knows that he is only trying to regain his strength. He needed the sleep and she knows she does too but she does not want to miss it when he finally wakes up. Skinner tries to get her to sleep. He even had the hospital brought in a couch inside the room for her. He made her a promise that when Mulder wakes up, he will wake her up as soon as possible and she held on to that promise.

She slept on that couch while Doggett has been her runner to her apartment to get her new clothes and her toiletries as well as her vitamins. He’s happy to do it. He wants to make sure that while she is worrying in taking care of Mulder, she’s being taken care of too. Mulder is not going to appreciate it if he finds out they failed to take care the mother of his child.

“Scully…”

His voice had pulled her out of the realm of unconsciousness and saw Mulder staring at her with a smile. She did not realize she had dozed off while sitting next to his bed.

“Hey…” she greeted with a smile.

“I told you I’m coming back”, he teased and it made her tear up.

“Oh Mulder…do you have any idea how you are? How long?” she asked, her voice is on the brink of breaking.

He studied her face as he gently ran his fingers on her flesh.

“No, only from what I can see in your eyes”, he can only see pain in them aside from love, “How have you been, Scully?” he finally asked.

She pursed her lips as she tried to stop herself from crying. It is only then that he noticed how big her belly has gotten. Before he left for Bellefleur, she was not showing yet and now, she’s full bloom pregnant.

“I have been better…but not as bad as you”, she answered without meeting his eyes.

“How long?” he asked again, now his eyes are fixed on her belly.

She saw it too. He’s now just realizing the amount of time he’s been gone from her life.

“I am due next month”, she simply said and allowed him to do the math.

He’s been gone for eight months. He missed eight months of Scully’s pregnancy. He had left her alone to deal with everything when he promised to never leave her. He promised to be there for her through everything.

“Mulder…it’s alright. You’re here now and you made it back before the baby is born. If it makes you feel any better, I had asked Dr. Foster not to tell me the gender of the baby so we can both find out at the same time. We can test your theory that it’s a junior”, she mentioned.

A smile crept up on his lips. He remembered that phone call with her before he went missing. He insisted that the baby is a boy and he still believes it. He’s glad that she remembers it too and chose not to know it yet so we can share the moment.

“Scully, when have I ever been wrong about my instincts?” he teased which made her laughed.

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SCULLY’S APARTMENT

Mulder has finally been released from the hospital and Skinner and Doggett accompanied him and Scully home. In the car, Doggett filled Mulder in with all the things he missed while he was gone, that he has been temporarily assigned to X Files and that as soon as he feels better, he will be transferred back to VCU. Mulder is in fact grateful that Doggett is indeed a straight cop. He cares about his job, the X Files, and Scully. It is rare nowadays to find someone like him and he actually likes him to be his friend too.

“Well, that’s all in the trunk. It’s amazing how much overnight bags you can accumulate in staying in the hospital for weeks”, Doggett announced.

Scully came up to him and gave him a warm hug.

“Thank you for everything that you’ve done, for not giving up”, she whispered before she pulls back.

“You’re welcome, Agent Scully”, he replied with a smile.

“Well, we have to go now. I for one would want to sleep on my bed”, Skinner joked before he and Doggett left so Mulder and Scully can have some time to be alone together.


	10. The Truth

Questions have not been raised for Mulder other than the questions he faced with Kersh and Skinner. Scully, not once, had asked him what happened or where he went. She’s just happy that he’s back and he’s with her. She also became a bit paranoid. When she cannot see him, she will call his phone or when they’re at home and he’s on another room, she will call out his name and will not stop until he answered. Mulder knows it is his fault Scully became like that. He should not have gone back to Bellefleur. It’s that stupid superhero complex and look what that’s gotten him.

“Seriously man, what happened?” Byers asked when the Gunmen came their apartment to visit.

“Did you the aliens?” Langly followed up.

“How big is their spaceship?” Frohike added.

Mulder sighed. He knows the boys are not going to stop until he gave them an answer. Everyone is curious as to what happened to him, all except Scully.

“No. I did not see aliens. I did see bounty hunters and the others who got abducted. They were all there, waiting for me”, he answered as he recalled Billy Miles along with the others all looking at him.

The boys frowned at him.

“What do you mean waiting for you?” Frohike asked again.

“There’s this force field that’s keeping the spacecraft hidden to plain sight. I was able to cross it for some reason and I did not even notice it until I heard Skinner yelling behind me. I was there and he couldn’t see me. Then, I saw the others under the light of the ship. I wanted to know. I want to know the truth—”

“Oh god…” Byers muttered as he bowed down his head to his palm.

“Please tell us you did not come voluntarily to the aliens”, Langly muttered.

It is only then that Mulder realized how that sounded. To everyone, it’s an abduction. He was abducted and tortured. The thing is, abduction means to be taken against one’s will. He was not taken against his will. He walked towards them, towards that light and stayed there despite hearing Skinner calling out for him. He was not abducted.

“I don’t know. They all seemed fine so I thought…I don’t know what I was thinking. All the answers I was seeking could be there. I felt that at the time. I wanted to know the truth. I did not think what could happen or how long I will be gone”, he explained.

The Gunmen looked at him in disbelief.

“You were gone for eight months, Mulder. You left a very pregnant Scully to look after herself while you’re wandering inside that spaceship being sliced and diced. Did you know that she came to us begging us to find you? I mean, we want to tell her that we can find you but we just couldn’t. You did not see the sadness in her face when we told her there’s nothing we could do. You did not see the guilt in Skinner’s face because he thought he failed at keeping his promise to Scully by keeping you safe and bringing you back to her. Scully had shut out her family after that horrible Christmas dinner where Bill roasted you in the dinner table. Jesus, Mulder…in your pursuit to find the truth you are desperately searching for, you put that woman through hell”, Frohike exclaimed in anger and frustration.

They were forced back then to tap on her phone to monitor her when she shut everyone out. She may have let Skinner in her apartment few times a week but she barely talked during those times. Her mother had left tons of messages that she never returned. They stealthily arranged grocery deliveries to her apartment to keep her stock replenished. They broke in her place once to get her prescriptions for her medications so they could purchase those for her when she couldn’t even bring herself out of bed. It was a group effort in making sure Scully and her baby will be fine. Even Doggett became their runner because he was also concerned about Scully. Now, they just found out that Mulder consciously left Scully for the aliens.

“I know. I have no excuse for my mistake. I didn’t know what I was thinking”, Mulder muttered.

“No, Mulder. You know exactly what you were thinking. You thought that you wouldn’t get that chance again to know what’s really out there. It would be now or never for you that night and you chose to take the risk”, Byers corrected.

That’s when they heard the plates shattered at the kitchen. Mulder bolted from the sofa and ran to Scully who’s picking up the broken pieces from the floor.

“Hey, what happened? Leave it there. Let me do it”, he said but she shooed him away.

“I can do this, Mulder. Go back in there”, her tone is sharp.

“What’s wrong?” he asked again.

She was about to say something but chose not to. Instead, she got up from the floor and left him there to lock herself in her bedroom.

It is the Gunmen’s queue to leave. They don’t know what happened and why Scully is in a bad mood but they don’t want to get in the middle of it so they left.

After Mulder was finished cleaning up the kitchen, he knocked on the bedroom door and found that it was not locked. He carefully went inside and found Scully standing by the window, staring onto the dark sky.

“Scully”, he called.

“Is it true that you went with them yourself?” she asked without looking at him.

When she heard it earlier, it’s like she’s been hit by a moving truck. She never asked anything about his abduction because she knows firsthand how hard it could be to try and recall things you don’t have access to anymore. She does not want to push him to tell her things. He will come around and will tell her on his own when he’s ready, she thought. When she heard the boys pushing Mulder to talk earlier, she walked towards the living room to tell them to back off a little and give him a space when Mulder mentioned about willingly going with the others despite hearing Skinner’s voice calling for him.

Her feet brought her back to the kitchen and she tried to drown that information with chores but it’s too much. He went with them on his own volition. He was not taken. He went with them knowing she’s waiting for him. He left her despite promising to come back and he was gone for eight months. He left her for eight months.

“Scully, I’m sorry. I was foolish for thinking that nothing bad could have happened if I went along. I wanted to know so bad…I am so sorry. There is nothing I can say that will justify what I did. I made a mistake”, he apologized.

She inhaled deeply. She does not expect him to tell her excuses. She knows the reason why he went. He’s a curious being and hunting the supernatural and the truth about what happened to his sister and to her has been his crusade. She couldn’t expect for Mulder to turn around when there’s a spaceship right in front of him. What she expected of him is that somehow, at the back of his head, he remembered that she’s not the only one waiting for him anymore. She and their unborn child were waiting for him but his quest won over her and the baby.

“I thought everything is going to change now for us. It did for me. I know how much your work means to you and I have no intention in taking it away from you. I wouldn’t even dare to ask you to give it up or make you choose but…Mulder, you made a promise to me. You promised me that you will be right here with me and you left”,

She finally faced him and he can see the anguish in her eyes. He wonders if it has always been there but he failed to see it because she’s been masking it to make him feel better.

“You never asked for this baby. I shouldn’t have held you to that. You shouldn’t feel obligated to me or this pregnancy. I know this now”, she expressed.

“Scully, that’s not true. I want this baby. I never asked for it but I want it. I want it with you. I am in this”, he insisted.

“We cannot kid ourselves, Mulder. We both know your quest comes first on your list. I wanted to rely on you with this baby but I cannot do that if you did things like chose to get abducted despite knowing there are people waiting at home for you. I have no doubt in my mind that you love me and you love this baby. I am just not sure whether you’ll choose us when another opportunity presents itself to you to find the truth you are looking for your entire life”, she explained.

“Don’t leave me, Scully. Please…you and our baby are all I’ve got. Please, you’re the only one who got me through all those experiments”, she frowned, “I remember, Scully. I remember everything even though I don’t want to and I remember the thought of you giving me strength to survive everything. Don’t go. I will make it up to you. Let me make it up to you. Let me prove to you that you and our kid are more important than my work…please”, he pleaded in desperation.

He can see the exhaustion in her eyes. Skinner told him that Scully had not been doing well since he went missing. The Gunmen just informed them of the same thing. Dr. Foster called telling him that Scully missed all of her appointments. She did not bother coming in for checkups. She did only one ultrasound but she was not interested in anything other than if the baby was okay and then she left. He began to recall how she sleeps longer than usual and her appetite has dwindled down. His profiler brain assessed Scully as someone going through depression. It shouldn’t come as a surprise given what she went through without him. Frohike was right. In the name of his quest, he had put Scully through hell.

She looks into his eyes and saw that he meant every word of it but she’s just tired. She’s tired of fighting and waiting. Years ago, she had accepted that Mulder’s work always comes first and she understood it. As his partner, she does. This time, however, is different. She’s not only his partner. She’s also the mother of his child. It wouldn’t be acceptable for him to put his work first if he intends to be part of their kid’s life. Their lives are about to change and if she cannot count on him not to ride spacecrafts when they come his way, how can she count on him with their baby’s life? It is a matter of priority and she does not want to impose on him. She does not want to force him to give something he had worked on his entire life for her…or their baby.

“I trust you and I believe that you want to do better and be a father but I hope you will not get mad with me when I say that I could not bring myself at the moment to fully trust you to remain here and believe that our baby is going to be your number one priority when it comes”, she expressed.

Mulder gave her a hopeful smile and took a few steps to hold her hands.

“That’s okay. I can work on it. Let me work on it. Let me prove to you that you and our baby are my top priorities and that I will not run away with the aliens. I will work on it”, he said.

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So, Scully agreed to allow Mulder to work on regaining her trust. He watched classes on how to handle newborn babies. He did research on everything he needs to know about being a father and taking care of an infant. He bought more toys for the nursery and he went to see her mother. After the Christmas dinner, she stopped talking to her family. It was too much for her to bear. Mulder’s disappearance, her pregnancy and Bill’s unrelenting insults of Mulder were things she did not want mixed altogether in her life so she cut off the things she could.

“Scully, I know you hate the taste of this vitamin but Dr. Foster said this is important for your red blood cells or something. She just said it’s important. Come on. It’s just one pill. You’re a doctor. You know I am not making this up”, he said one morning while holding her vitamin and a glass of water.

It’s been three weeks since they had that talk in her bedroom and Mulder continuous to keep his words of proving to her that he’s all in when it comes to their relationship and the family they’re about to build. Although she can still recall the doubt she has about him taking off again, she’s happy to see him wanting their baby as much as she does.

“Fine. I am so glad that I won’t have to take this anymore a few weeks from now”, she sighed and took the vitamin.

“See? Wasn’t so hard—” his teasing got cut off when the power went out. “Is this normal in this building?” he asked.

“We got backup generator”, she answered.

“…which should kick up right about now…but there’s nothing”, his guts are telling him something, “Scully, get up and pack a bag. Now”, he instructed.


End file.
